How to search New York court records

New York runs a single statewide case-lookup system, so one search — with the name spelled correctly — reaches courts across the entire state. Cost varies by record type — some searches are free, others require a paid account or a formal records request.

statewide varies criminal data

Open the official New York portal →

What's actually there

eCourts is free: WebCivil Supreme, WebCivil Local and WebFamily, plus WebCriminal for pending criminal cases with future court dates (guest sign-in, no account). Past convictions require the court system's $95 statewide Criminal History Record Search.

Other official lookups for New York

How New York's courts are organized

New York's court names are easy to misread. The Supreme Court is a trial court with unlimited original jurisdiction, not the top court; in practice it takes cases outside the limits of the more specialized trial courts. Outside New York City, each county also has a County Court with criminal jurisdiction and civil jurisdiction up to $25,000. Family Court, Surrogate's Court (estates) and the Court of Claims (suits against the state) handle their own subjects. Lower courts include the New York City Civil and Criminal Courts, District Courts, City Courts, and town and village justice courts that handle misdemeanors, violations, traffic and small civil claims, and hold arraignments for more serious charges.

Appeals go first to the Appellate Division, which has four departments, or in some cases to an Appellate Term. The state's highest court is the Court of Appeals in Albany. Online case information comes from the Unified Court System's eCourts service, but which court a case is in decides which eCourts search will find it.

Using the official online searches

eCourts is free. WebCivil Supreme covers Supreme Court civil cases in all 62 counties, but a case only shows up after a party files a Request for Judicial Intervention. WebCivil Local covers City Courts, District Courts and New York City Civil Court, searchable by party name or index number. WebFamily covers the county Family Courts and Integrated Domestic Violence Courts. Supreme Court documents that were filed electronically can be viewed on NYSCEF without an account.

WebCriminal shows pending criminal cases with a future appearance date in selected criminal courts. Anyone can use it by signing in as a guest; you can search by case number or defendant name and view court calendars. It is not a history search: cases with no future date, including those with open warrants, are not shown, nor are sealed cases, cases where the top charge is a violation or infraction, or cases only in a treatment court.

For a history, the Office of Court Administration sells a statewide Criminal History Record Search for $95 per name, online through Direct Access or by mail. It covers open cases and convictions from County, Supreme, City, Town and Village courts in all 62 counties, matched exactly on name and date of birth. It does not include sealed records, family, civil or federal cases, violations and infractions, or old cases with no disposition and no activity for five years unless there is an open warrant. Results are not certified.

Getting copies and certified copies

Supreme Court and County Court civil files are kept by the County Clerk in each county, and criminal and lower-court files by the clerk of that court. Under Judiciary Law 255, clerks must search their files and make copies on request when you describe the specific records you want. Court records are not covered by the state's Freedom of Information Law.

Fees vary by office. The New York County Clerk in Manhattan charges 25 cents per page for copies from case files plus $8 per certification, and accepts mail requests only for certified documents. The Bronx County Clerk charges $8 plus 25 cents per page in person, or $8 plus 65 cents per page by mail, with exemplification $25 more. Sealed or impounded files need a judge's order before you can see them.

Records that are not public

New York seals rather than expunges. When a criminal case ends in the defendant's favor, such as a dismissal or acquittal, the record is sealed under Criminal Procedure Law 160.50, and cases ending in a non-criminal violation are sealed under CPL 160.55. Under CPL 160.59, a person with no more than two eligible convictions, no more than one of them a felony, can apply to seal them ten years after sentencing or release; sex offenses, violent felonies, homicide felonies and class A felonies are excluded.

The Clean Slate Act added CPL 160.57, which seals eligible convictions automatically: misdemeanors three years and felonies eight years after sentencing or release, with most class A felonies and sex offenses excluded. The law took effect November 16, 2024, and the court system has until November 16, 2027 to build the systems and seal older eligible records. Sealed records stay open to law enforcement and some licensing and employment checks. This is a summary, not legal advice; talk to a lawyer or a court help center.

New York tip: index numbers and the right search

Civil cases in Supreme Court are tracked by an index number assigned by the County Clerk, and eCourts searches work best with it or with exact party names; there is no search by topic or statute. If you are trying to confirm that someone has a past conviction, WebCriminal will not help because it only lists pending cases. The $95 statewide search is the court system's own history check, and the eTrack service can email you updates on a case you follow.

Sources

Checked against the official sources above in October 2026. Court rules and fees change; the court's own site is the final word. This is general information, not legal advice.

Federal cases filed in New York

State portals don't cover federal court. If the case you're looking for might be a federal criminal prosecution, civil suit, or bankruptcy, use CourtRecordsFree's live federal search — it queries CourtListener/RECAP directly and isn't limited to any one state.

Search tips

Try both "Last, First" and "First Last" — courts index names inconsistently.
Middle initials and suffixes (Jr., III) often matter for common names.
A date of birth or case number is the only reliable way to confirm you found the right person.
An arrest or charge shown in a docket is not a conviction — read the disposition.

Frequently asked questions

Is it free to search New York court records online?

It depends on what you're looking for. Some record types on New York's portal are free; others require payment or a formal request.

Does this include criminal records?

Yes. New York's portal includes criminal case records alongside civil cases, though sealed and expunged cases are not shown.

Does one search cover the whole state?

New York runs one statewide system, so a single search covers the whole state.

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